2015 V60 Auto box oil change
 

Hi all.
My 2015 V60 auto has now hit 119kmiles and I'm concerned about the oil in the box. According to Volvo UK it only requires changing if it reached 150kmiles or has been towing or been used as a taxi as its considered "sealed for life".. but I fail to see how even a modern lubricant can remain effective for that long, so I want to flush and replace the oil.
I've looked online and cant find what lubricant should be used (I presume fully synth transmission oil will be ok), or how much does the gearbox hold (as I need to flush I'll require double the qty)..
Anyone out there with knowledge?

You're quite right to be thinking about it, quite a few members on here change the trans fluid (general consensus would be around every 72k for normal driving, 54k or 36k for towing etc.) You will notice improvements, smoother shift etc. It can take a while for the new oil to reach full effect as the gearbox "adapts" to it.

Post 2010MY cars use AW-1/JWS3324 spec fluid. You might have the 8-speed box - but it takes the same juice.

If you're doing it at home, the easiest way is to do a series of 4 or more "sump dumps". Have a search on here... also lots of videos on YouTube.

Key points would be :

- When draining, pour into an old plastic container or similar so you can mark/measure it and replace with the exact quantity of new fluid.

- Drive the car a few miles between dumps (don't just cycle the gears whilst stationary which you see in some videos, this doesn't disturb the oil in the final drive housing).

- When finished, check the gearbox oil level with the engine running and the car stationary on level ground with the gearbox warm (60 degrees, so you can only just touch it for a few seconds).

Each dump will release about 3 - 3.5 litres, so you will need 12-14 litres to complete 4 cycles, that will give you ~ 90% new fluid.

If you really want to go for it, a further two dumps will get you to as near as 100% new fluid as makes no difference.

Great advice above.

You need VIDA diagnostics to check the gearbox temp before setting the final level. To reset the fluid counter (to tell the car its got new fluid), you also need VIDA.

Post Update !!

Had my car in for its annual service & MOT this week and I had them carry out the gearbox oil change at the same time (independent little garage up the road from my work)..
OMG what a difference to the gearbox. The gear changes are so smooth I can barely notice them... having had the car for 5 years, the gearbox operation had degraded so gradually that I hadnt realised how much I could "feel" the gearshifts.
Also, as I was suspecting, when first used in the morning, I quickly join a stretch of dual carriageway and I was suspicious that the clutch was slipping until it had warmed up a bit ... yep !! It was !!!! Not now though !!:laughing-smiley-011

Excellent I would advise you change the oil every 50000 to 70000 miles depending on use . Volvo do have a service schedule for it for very heavy use ( 36000 miles ) ( towing or taxi work )

Glad it's been successful.

One point - when the engine is cold the gearbox shift points are raised and torque converter lockup disabled until things start to warm up - this is normal and to facilitate the fastest possible warmup cycle. This may have been what you thought was the clutch slipping.

Out of curiosity, check the Invoice to see how much fluid they used/charged you for. If they only used say 3-3.5 litres of fluid, that means they've only changed about 30% of the fluid (if that). The reason for that is you can only drain about 3L from the transmission sump plug. The rest of the fluid is inside the transmission itself and can't be drained simply by doing it once.

Its good to hear that the gear changes are smooth, but lots of garages simply do what's known as a single drain and fill and call it a "gearbox service". Its not really a proper service doing a single drain and fill. They need to do multiple drain and fills to get the fluid clean. Its a bit like doing an oil change by draining 3 litres and leaving the rest...

If they did a full fluid change, which would require approx 7-11 litres of fluid depending on condition, then that's fair enough.

Sump dump method is the DIYer on their drive approach. Trained/experienced techs at garages should always use a pump connected to the cooler hoses and change the lot in one go. Or do it using an EDT or similar machine.